Just an Illusion - The B Side

by D. Kelly

  With every word from his mouth, every kiss from his lips, and every thoughtful thing he does for me, Noah has more than made me fall in love with him. He’s taken the girl who wrote a romance novel—the same girl who doesn’t believe in fairy tales—and given her one of her very own. I’m in so much trouble and I couldn’t be happier about it.

  Belle’s Baby Announcements

  Slammers!

  It’s your girl Belle and do I have NEWS!

  First of all, let’s give a big Congratulations to Darren Miller (and me) on the birth of our new baby daughter. Cadence Miller was born on April 11th and she’s perfect in every single way. We’re not ready to show her off to the world just yet, but you can catch a glimpse of her in the photo down below. With her fingers wrapped around Darren’s, she’s already got daddy in her tight little grasp.

  And more breaking BAD news. Hold on to your hearts, ladies, because this one is a doozy. Noah Weston and Amelia Greyson are also expecting their first bundle of joy later this year. The duo couldn’t be happier and it shows in their very first family photo below. Could they be any cuter?

  There’s only one bachelor of BAD left, ladies. Who’s going to be the lucky girl to grab Sawyer Weston’s heart? You never know, it could be any one of you. Sawyer says he’s happy to be single, but I don’t know, ladies, I feel like that’s a challenge. Anyone want to help me prove him wrong?

  Just kidding, even I don’t have those kinds of superpowers. Sawyer will pick his leading lady when he’s good and ready. Sawyer may be picky for a reason; this BAD boy has a heart of gold. I should know … I’ve recently seen him coo at a newborn baby girl and it was all that and a bag of chips.

  My love to you all. Until next time.

  Live today like there’s no tomorrow.

  Xs and Os,

  Belle

  Unexpected Surprise

  It’s been a little over a month since Cadence and Belle came on tour with us and everyone seems happier. Who knew having a baby around was like a constant anti-depressant? Belle was able to recover easily with so much help, and Cadence is the best baby. Granted, I’ve never been around babies, but I’m spending a lot of time with her so I can learn fast. She rarely ever cries and if she does, there’s a purpose behind it.

  The guys have taken to rehearsing on Darren’s bus because Cadence seems to love the sound of the guitars; she just sits in her bouncer and stares, wide-eyed. She has these expressive brown eyes that seem to be getting lighter by the day and the curliest dark-black hair. Unfortunately, Darren’s parents haven’t been able to come see her yet. Darren’s dad had the flu when she was born, then his mom got it, and they couldn’t get time off after missing work. They were going to come last weekend but we were traveling, so they’re hoping to come next weekend. At least with technology, all the grandparents have been able to see her via video calls whenever they want to.

  “Mel!” Noah calls out excitedly. I’ve been in the bedroom napping. I’m six months along now and my stomach is a big round basketball. I’ll never admit it to Noah, but I’m so fucking glad he put this bar in. His foresight there was a blessing in disguise. “Babe, how fast can you pack a bag?”

  “Why? Where are we going?” We’re supposed to be on our way to Kansas for their shows this week.

  “I was thinking Vegas so we can get married,” Noah announces proudly.

  “What about your shows? I don’t have a ring for you, or a dress or anything.” My panicked voice brings a soft smile to his lips as he sits next to me.

  “Slow down, one problem at a time. Sadly, the area we were playing in was severely affected by tornadoes that touched down there this morning. We’re moving the shows to the end of the tour and the band has already made a donation to the town’s disaster relief fund.”

  “That’s awful. I hope everyone is okay.”

  “Me, too. There were a few fatalities, we’ve been talking about doing a benefit show with some other bands who were supposed to play here. Warren is working on coordinating it. That would bring in a lot of money.”

  They should have called themselves PAK—Philanthropic and Kind. Bastards and Dangerous only suits their physical image, but not them as people—not at all.

  “Belle and Darren are flying home on a private plane with Cadence to see Darren’s parents so they can keep her off a commercial flight. Sawyer, Wyatt, and Warren are all going with them, and so is Ryan. Mac agreed to come to Vegas with us and be our witness if you’re on board.”

  “Really? Just the two of us and Mac?” My racing heart must be noticeable to the baby. I’ve been feeling him kick a lot lately but last night, when Noah was on the other bus, I could actually see my belly move. Like it is right now. “Noah, look!”

  His eyes immediately go to my belly and he lifts my shirt. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Hey, Nate, do you want your mommy and daddy to get married tomorrow?”

  “Ugh … I’ve never felt him kick that hard.” It’s like he knew exactly what Noah said and is putting his two cents in.

  “That’s my boy,” Noah cheers him on, and he kicks again. I absolutely love the feeling.

  Whenever the baby is active, Noah sings to him; right now is no different. As he sings a lullaby, Nate keeps on swimming around in there. He must have gotten my appreciation for his daddy’s voice.

  After he finishes singing, he looks back up at me. “What do you say? Will you do me the absolute honor of becoming my wife?”

  “Of course I will, but what about a ring, and a dress, and …”

  “Shh … It’s okay, Mel, one thing at a time. We’ll get a ring when we get there. Vegas probably has more jewelry stores than anywhere and we won’t stop until we find whatever it is you want me to wear.”

  “I want you to wear what you like, Noah, not what I like.”

  “Perfect,” he says with a beaming smile, “because I’d really like a simple platinum band and we can find that anywhere.”

  “Okay, that’s the easy part.”

  “It’s all easy. The two of us are in this together, right?” With his fingers laced through mine, he squeezes my hand. I’ve realized he does this to calm me down when I’m stressed.

  “Right.”

  “Good. Do you want a dress and the whole shebang? Or do you want to keep it simple and wear whatever is comfortable?”

  I’ve never even pictured myself in a wedding dress and since this is about me and Noah and our love, there’s no reason not to keep it simple. “You answer that first. What do you want?” If he wants to see me in a dress, I’ll put one on to make him happy.

  “As long as you’re at the altar saying yes, I’d even go naked, Mel. It truly doesn’t make a difference to me.”

  “Good, because a dress makes it feel even more like the whole cliché pregnant bride thing, and since it’s only us, there’s no need. I can find something slinky, white, and sexy for the reception if you want.”

  Noah lowers my hand to his cock; he’s rock hard. “I think you have your answer to that question.”

  And now I’m horny. I’d heard your sex drive while pregnant was enhanced but damn, I had no idea it was like this.

  “When do we have to leave?” I ask, attempting to take off his shirt.

  “In the next thirty minutes. There’s a shared private charter leaving for Vegas in less than two hours and I booked the last three seats.” He pulls me off the bed and kisses me deeply.

  “If it was a sure thing from the start, why even ask?”

  “We’re a partnership, Mel. I may think I know what you want, but you’ll always have the final say.” I kiss him again, even though I’d rather be tearing his clothes off.

  “Noah?”

  “Yes, Mel?”

  “Can we have cake?”

  “You want a cake?” he asks with a knowing smile.

  “Um … yeah. I mean, who gets married without a cake? Wouldn’t that be sacrilegious or bad karma or something?�
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  “You know what? I’m sure it probably is. What kind of cake do you want? I’ll make it happen.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t give me a choice because right now they all sound good. Chocolate with banana, chocolate with raspberry, vanilla with champagne, lemon with raspberry mousse. Noah, make it stop. I’m going to be so fat.” Groaning, I look at Noah with pleading eyes.

  He grabs my ass and pulls me as close as he can with this belly between us. “You aren’t going to be fat. You still work out every day, but even if you do get fat, so what? You’re having a baby, Mel. It’s a good reason to gain weight and it will come off after the baby.”

  “What if it doesn’t?”

  “Then it doesn’t. I love you, Mel, and it doesn’t matter what you look like, that will never change. The vows we’re going to exchange tomorrow pretty much mandate that. Are you going to love me if I go bald?”

  “Of course, but …”

  “Nope, I’m not done. What if I start rocking a dad bod? I hear they’re all the rage right now.”

  “You’d still be hot, even with a dad bod.”

  “Damn straight I would. So stop worrying about your appearance. I love your heart, your mind, and your soul. And your body, to an extent, but your body isn’t who you are, it’s what you live in. Now, pack or we’re going to be late. I’ll work on the cake and surprise you.”

  He puts the suitcases on the bed and starts packing his clothes. “How long are we going to be gone?”

  “We get a whole week, Mel. We’ll just meet up with the buses in Oklahoma.”

  “What are you telling everyone? They’re going to know something is up.” My stomach clenches and rolls with even the thought of Noah lying to his family.

  “I told them I was going to steal you away for a private vacation since it’s the only chance we’ll get for one before the baby comes.”

  “And, of course, because it came from you they fell for it hook, line, and sinker.”

  He zips up his suitcase and begins tossing stuff in mine. Guess I’m not moving fast enough.

  “It wasn’t a lie. We are going on a vacation, and it is the last one we’re going to get alone before the baby comes. I just left out one important detail. Mac would have come with us regardless.”

  “You’re slick, Weston.”

  “And you’re slow, Greyson, get a move on.”

  It only took us two hours to get to Vegas and now I’m stretched out on the bed in our suite at The Aria while Noah runs errands. Because Mac is a good sport, Noah got him a suite as well, with instructions to enjoy his trip. Other than today and tomorrow, Noah told him we probably won’t need him much.

  On the way here we talked about splitting the trip between Vegas and somewhere tropical for a few days, but the last thing I want to do is lounge on a beach, pregnant, so the paparazzi can post unflattering pictures of me everywhere. It wouldn’t matter if I were the sexiest pregnant person on the planet, they’d find a photo where I had a wedgie or something and post that one.

  The only thing I’m hoping for right now is that Noah is keeping a low profile while he’s out or the jig is going to be up fast. He knows what he’s doing, though.

  The next thing I know, I wake up with Noah curled against me. His arm is wrapped around my belly, his unique Noah scent filling my senses. The security I feel in his arms is indescribable.

  “You awake?” he asks softly.

  I roll over so I can see him. “I’m awake. How long have you been back? You could have woken me up.”

  “About a half hour, but I would never wake you up. I know you have a hard time getting comfortable on the bus lately and you’re sleeping for two.”

  “Did you do everything you needed to?”

  An excited gleam enters his eyes. “We have an appointment in the morning at the courthouse. I managed to get them to approve use of the back entrance and a private room so we can fill out the paperwork for the marriage license. Tony helped. He’s got a lawyer friend here who put me in contact with the right people.”

  “So Tony knows we’re getting married?”

  “Yes, but he’s a lawyer, Mel. He won’t say anything. He is flying in on Friday, though, and I’m going to have to spend a few hours with him. I have to sign off on my final statement because they decided to prosecute Sara’s friends as accomplices. You signed off on your statement after the accident, but I never did. I kept putting it off, remember?”

  “Yeah. How do you feel about it?”

  The sadness pours off him in waves. “I’m conflicted. I think they should face some consequences, but Sara most likely lied to them and they didn’t realize what was really going down. Tony says they have a good lawyer, so I’m hoping it won’t be too bad. I don’t remember all the charges, but Tony said they could be facing five years or more.”

  “Will we have to testify?”

  “Tony thinks they’ll get a good plea deal. I’m going to also write a personal statement requesting a plea for them. They lost their friend, and I think we’ve all suffered enough. It’s time to move on.”

  We both laugh when Nate kicks Noah’s hand. “I think Nate wants everyone to move on as well.”

  “Oh, speaking of … grab your phone and check it.”

  His excitement piques my curiosity, so I roll over to get my phone and then back again. When I see what he’s excited about, I bust up laughing.

  After pushing a few buttons, his phone dings. “I’m not sure how that hadn’t happened already, but consider yourself my newest Facebook friend.”

  While I’m at it, I pull up the one friend request I’ve ignored for a long time and accept it. Eli is now also my Facebook friend. Eli and I text often now, and he’s coming over for our big Fourth of July get together. Seems like he and Rory are really making a go of their new relationship, but they haven’t announced it to anyone yet.

  “Now that you’re my official Facebook friend, I was hoping you won’t mind if I start making updates.”

  I remember him talking about how sad he felt watching all his friends move on with their lives. Now he can have his own story to tell. The funny thing is his friends probably would have been excited to see all Noah’s music stuff. Knowing Noah, he probably never posted much because, even though it’s his life, he’d feel like he was bragging.

  “You can do whatever you want as long as Belle gets her exclusives first.”

  “Yup, she’ll get to go first but within seconds of her posting to Slammed, I can post to my page. My first post is going up now.”

  My phone dings with a new notification. He tagged me in our first family photo, and his post is so completely Noah.

  You’ve probably seen this photo already, but I decided to start posting important updates to my page instead of letting only the media run with them. This is my fiancée, Amelia Greyson, and as you probably already know, we’re expecting. I’ve never used this page for much more than keeping up with my friends who I rarely get to see. I’m hoping that will change after our tour ends. If you’re on this page, it’s because you’re my friend and you’re important to me. I’ve never posted much about the band because what I do with my life isn’t who I am. This photo portrays me to the fullest. I’m a family man and always have been. This is your first look into my new family, but not your last. #BabyWestonComingSoon

  “That is so sweet, Noah. What’s your second post going to be?”

  “Our wedding picture, tomorrow night, seconds after Belle posts it to her blog. We’re going to have some tough calls to make tomorrow night, but it’s worth it for what I’m getting in return.”

  His excitement, his willingness to make all of this happen for me—the way I want—is too much to handle. As worried as I am about Sawyer, his twin missing his wedding is even worse.

  “What is the plan tomorrow?”

  He grins. “We have our appointment in the morning, and don’t be mad, but I got a ring today while I was out. You said I could pi
ck it and I knew you were tired.”

  “I’m not mad.”

  “Good. Tomorrow at four we’re getting married at the chapel downstairs. I thought about doing something off the strip but doing it here leaves less chances of us being discovered.”

  Perfect. It might take a miracle for me to get everyone here … but if I can, the rest will be easy.

  “Would you be mad at me if I said I changed my mind?”

  With wide eyes, he chokes out his reply, “Changed your mind about what?”

  “I can’t picture marrying you in regular clothes. You can probably order a suit from any shop downstairs. What do you think the odds are of getting a cute, white maternity wedding dress? Nothing poofy or long, just short and sweet?”

  He jumps up out of bed and grabs my computer. “I’m pretty sure those odds are fucking fantastic. Do you know how many pregnant chicks get married in Vegas every day? Probably more than anywhere else in the world.”

  As his fingers fly quickly across the keyboard, I want to smack myself. How I ever thought it would be okay to take this away from him, I’ll never know. Within minutes he has a local boutique pulled up and a page full of options for me.

  “What do you think about this one?” I ask, pointing to a dress that is everything I just described.

  “I think you’ll look beautiful. Is this the one?” I nod. He picks up the phone and calls the shop to be sure they have it in stock and asks them to hold it for him. Well … for Mac; nothing ever goes in their names. Then he does a search and finds out there’s a suit shop adjacent to the dress shop.

  “Did you order the cake?” I ask when he closes the computer.

  “A few of them, in all the requested flavors.” He’s beaming. I’m beginning to think making people happy is some kind of addiction for him.

  “What are we going to do with all the leftovers?”

  “I figured we could box them up for a shelter or something. Or you can eat every single one and exhaust any cravings you have.”